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Sunday, January 30, 2011

I decided to join the the fun over at the Paper Players challenge. I used my very most favorite SAB stamp set called Bliss along with some of my favorite colors Crumb Cake and Baja Breeze. Another favorite of mine is the Seam Binding Ribbon it's so yummy oh and the Basic Rhinestones and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. What can I say--I love it all.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

This super cute favor is made using the Petal Cone Bigz L Die and the Love Impressions DSP. It's a fabulous new product you can get from the Occasions Mini Catalog. One thing you may or may not know about me is that I use Stampin' Dimensionals like crazy--I love dimension. For the focal point I punched the cupcake pieces from the same DSP I used for the base of my favor and a bit of Red Glimmer paper. I can't help myself from using a paper crimper to add a touch of texture to the cupcake bottom. I use it every time I use this punch.

I also added Silver Glitter from the Fine Galaxy pack to the edges of the mini banner and the label. The mini banner is included on that new die. Since I brought out the silver glitter I had to match that up with a few bits of Basic Rhinestone bling pieces. I backed two of the with tiny circle punches of Red Glimmer paper.

This favor and lots more favors are part of a Saturday challenge for the subscribers of Create with Connie and Mary (but we are showing them off to everyone). When they enter the challenges, they have their name put in the drawing for one of two $75 merchandise certificates and one of two FREE subscriptions to Create with Connie and Mary SUMMER Edition. The more they enter the challenges, the more times their name is entered into the drawing!

You can still join the subscription even though we have already started. You will still be able to see and access all the AMAZING projects and tutorials we have done so far and all the ones to come. They do NOT take the site down so you can always go back and access the site after the session has ended.

Friday, January 28, 2011

This new Red Glimmer paper is so, so much fun to work with. It is a nice weight and it shimmers and sparkles like you wouldn't believe. I have really become a fan of anything red over the past few years. I even bought a red washer and dryer a while back.

I am diggin' on how clean and sleek this card turned out. I used the First Edition dsp and the You're a Gem stamp set, both of which are new in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

It's time to celebrate with a Sale-a-Bration! The party of all stamp sales has begun. My card today features one of the FREE exclusive stamp sets you can receive with a purchase of $50. This one is called Sweet Summer and is easy to work with. Everything I have made turns out cute.

For this card I started with the Nursery Suite DSP to add as a layer on my 4 1/4" square card. The flowers were stamped on Whisper White using Black Staz On ink. I did the "squeeze the ink pad lid" trick to have a bit of color to pick up with my blender pen.

Monday, January 24, 2011

There's a party going on starting in just a few days. Yes, it is that time of year for the FREE STAMPS from Stampin' Up!. Have you seen the SAB Catalog and the great products you can get for FREE! Here is a sneak peak of the new stamp set called Punch Bunch. You can get it for free with a $50 purchase which SAB starts on the 25th.

I put this card together as a sample for SU!'s Leadership Conference which was last week in Nashville. The color combination is a departure from what I normally do, but was inspired by the Ice Cream Parlor ribbon. I had these candles on my kitchen counter so I decided to ad them to the card. What seemed to be a simple idea took several attempts to get them to stick. I used Sticky Strip, Glue Dots, hot glue, and Mono Mono Multi-Purpose glue and found that being patient with the Mono Multi-Purpose glue with a bead of hot glue was the way to go.

Don't forget to pop over to Create With Connie and Mary. The subscription series includes project ideas using the free stamps and accessories featured in the Sale-a-Bration sale of all sales! It is not too late to join the series.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

BLOG CANDY, BLOG CANDY, BLOG CANDY-- I can't say it enough. Go to Connie Babbert's blog today to enter for a drawing to win a FREE subscription to Create With Connie and Mary.

On with a visual tasty treat. I love the color combination on this card because it totally makes me think of red velvet cake. I started the card with a base of Chocolate Chip cardstock and then layered a piece of red print from the Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack. The super cute cupcake and cherry were punched using the Build a Cupcake Extra Large Punch. It is a brand new punch which you can find in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

My cupcake focal point is set off with an accordion medallion made from the First Edition dsp and a large spot of Red Glimmer paper. The "little" greeting is also from a new stamp set called You're A Gem and was punched out with a 3/4" circle punch.

Need amazing ideas featuring the Build a Cupcake punch and more new Occasions Mini products make sure to stop byCreate with Connie and Maryto see what we are doing and see the types of projects that will be available with your subscription. Today is the last day to get the the Early Bird Special Price of $24.95 US is a savings of $5 and is good only until 11:00 PM EST...then the regular price of $29.95 returns.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I told you I loved banners and garlands in an earlier post. Well here is another that I made last fall while I was a our beach house in Capistrano. It was made for the "Love Letter" section of our Sacramento Scrapbook Expo booth. I waited this long to share it with you because I knew it would be a perfect post for this time of year. A time of love.

So, funny thing as I was taking pictures of the garland, which is backed by a very gorgeous paper cone wreath made with a mix of Love Letter DSP and Newsprint DSP, because of the mirror you could see the reflection of my sofa. Not so funny except you could also see the pile of laundry to be folded. Not such a good shot and I like my pictures to be free of that stuff. Well at least you know I clean up every now and again.

The banner was made using the Pennant Bigz XL die from Stampin' Up! I used all the papers from the Love Letter DSP pack, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Chantilly Crochet Ribbon, Big Designer Buttons, Basic Pearls, and the Alphabet Simple Bigz Dies. Each of the letters are covered in Champagne Glass Glitter for that added bit of panache. I also included some ivory tulle to give some added lacy texture.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Have you been visiting the Create with Connie and Mary site to see the preview projects? If not, click on over there and be totally inspired. You will find great tutorials featuring all new products found in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

My card for today was my swap card for a dinner which my amazing and totally fabulous upline hosted last Friday night. We ate at Ravellos in the Opryland Resort. It was a fun time, we gobbled up good food, we were all in great company, and the swap was awesome!

I used the Sale-a-Bration stamp set called Sweet Summer for the flower boarder and the greeting image comes from You're a Gem which is a new set in the Occasions mini catalog. I colored the flowers in with Whisper White Craft ink and a blender pen. It is a fun and easy technique that you should try. The DSP is Love Letter and the ribbon is called Victoria. All supplies are from Stampin Up!

To get more great ideas with new Stampin' Up! products visit the Create blog. Today is the day to leave a comment on Cristena Bagne's blog to be entered into the drawing for a FREE subscription to Create with Connie and Mary so, click over there to see her preview project. Have fun and happy stampin'.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Today I am posting one of the samples I created for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference. I love the simple layout of this card and all it's subtle details. I started with an Early Espresso card and then layered it with a Daffodil Delight panel. The panel is textured cardstock and then I textured it again in the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I did ink up the folder with Very Vanilla Craft Ink before I ran it through the Big Shot.

The tag was stamped on Very Vanilla and then layered on Pumpkin Pie. I used markers to color in the tag image from the Sale-a-Bration stamp set called Punch Bunch.

If you look close you'll see a heart shaped Bitty Button tied with linen thread. I pinned all that through the tag and to the piece of ribbon which is a strip of Sweet Stitches Designer Series Fabric.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

BLOG CANDY ALERT, keep readingToday is January 15th and it's my big day to share with you a project featuring products from the Hugs & Kisses Suite in the Occasions Mini Catalog that is also being shared over atCreate with Connie & Mary Occasions Edition. We are celebrating two preview weeks before the five week private subscription which begins on January 23! Starting Sunday, January 23 only subscribers will have access to the five weeks of fabulous projects that Connie Babbert, Mary Brown, and Guest Designers, Cristena Bagne, Rochelle Gould and myself will be doing on Create with Connie and Mary! You WON'T want to miss it!So, on with the show this is it! You may not know this about me, but I love garlands. I am a huge fan of them and I make them for all seasons, holidays, and birthdays. And, what would Valentine's be without a L-O-V-E garland? This sweet garland is bright, cheery, dimensional, and sparkly. It's perfect for adding a bit more love to my home.

All supplies for this garland are from Stampin' Up! but most everything I used comes from the Hugs & Kisses Suite from the Occasions Mini Catalog. When working with a collection of products from a design suite you are guaranteed a cohesive and polished look. Click here for a step by step photo tutorial.

Now for the BLOG CANDY details...

All of the designers at Create with Connie and Mary are giving away a FREE subscription.Leave a comment below on my blog and you will be entered to win one of the subscriptions.If you have already subscribed, your fee will be refunded or you can get a credit for the nextsession of Create!
Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 23 at 12 noon EST. To find out if you're awinner visit the Create with Connie and Mary site no later that February 5th by 12 noon EST.Then send your email address to createwithconnieandmary@gmail.com. Good luck everyone!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Today I am posting a non-traditional Valentines card. This would be perfect for my mom or a friend, but not for my husband Newel (sometimes I call him Paolo and then he speaks with a really bad Italian accent). I found my inspiration from the color challenge over at Create with Connie & Mary.

I started with the Build a Blossom stamp set and the coordinating Blossom Petal punch for the focal point on my card. Then I decided to layer it on a So Saffron panel that I debossed with the Lots of Love Letterpress plate in my Big Shot. The four square layers in the very back come from the Nursery Suite Specialty paper. For the center of the flower I added Champagne glass glitter and Basic Pearls (that's my favorite part). The finished size of the card is 5 1/4" x 5 1/4".

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

This 4 1/4" square card came together quite quickly. Just a simple background of First Edition lightweight DSP and a cupcake focal. I used the Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, and the new Build a Cupcake Punches. Then I stamped my greeting from the You're a Gem set and punched it out using the 3/4" Circle Punch. Enjoy :0)

Thursday, January 6, 2011

This is the third chunky 12" x 12" frame I have made. To start my Valentine decor themed frame I had to first strip off the wedding paper and accessories. You may think it's weird, but I take apart projects and recycle them into a new ones once I am in the mood for something new.

For this frame I selected a piece of Love Letter dsp to cover the entire front side of the frame. Once the glue was dry I used a hobby blade to cut out the center opening. All the outer and inner edges were sanded to give a polished, clean, smooth look.

Rather than finding a photo for the frame I chose to stamp and punch a bit of art. The background was stamped with an image from Style Beautiful using Riding Hood Red ink. The crown and key were stamped from the Artistic Etchings set in Soft Suede and Staz On Black. The key was not standing out enough so I layered a butterfly punched from a piece of Love Letter dsp underneath. A girl can never have too much bling, so I added the black jewels and rhinestones on the top side of the glass.

Three sets of layered butterflies cut from the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die. My ribbon frosting was first gathered with a quick basting stitch and then secured in place with Sticky Strip. If you bought the black jewels during the Holiday Mini catalog bust them out and add them to your Valentine crafts for a flashy look.

All supplies are from Stampin' Up! except for the black skeleton keys. The Chunky Frames can be found in the Definitely Decorative catalog.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Guess what! I am going to be guest designing for Create With Connie and Mary. If you have never visited the site, go there and have some fun. Starting January 9th the website will celebrating by sharing two preview weeks before it begins a five week private subscription series beginning January 23! The series will featurd the new stamps and accessories from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog throughout the entire subscription period.

The two preview weeks will focus on the Hugs & Kisses Suite which includes XOXO, Valentine Defined, Language of Love Wheel, Be My Valentine, Eat Chocolate, Love Impressions Rub-ons, Love Impressions DSP and Letterpress items. My card you see today features several of the Hugs & Kisses Suite products. They are all new items which are available starting TODAY!

Don't forget to be sure to visit Create with Connie and Mary frequently to see what we are doing and see the types of projects that will be available with your subscription.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

I have been in a fun swap group for several years now, maybe even four. It is made up of my upline, some sideline, and even my downline. I guess you could call it an upsidedownline swap group. There are nine of us in this group and with each new mini catalog and new Idea Book and Catalog we exchange cards. Each of us is assigned a stamp set that we then come up with four different designs. So, we end up making nine of each of the four designs. We send them all over the country and to Qatar. These are always fabulous and I love getting puffy envelopes in the mail at swap time.

This great card made by my swapping sideline friend Nancy F. She used the brand new Build a Blossom stamp set and coordinating Blossom Petals punch. Check out the Crumb Cake seam binding--yummy. These new products will be available starting January 4th.

About Me

I absolutely love crafting and making things, especially projects with papers and stamps. I enjoy making altered scrapbooks and cards. Lately, I have totally enjoyed creating gifts, jewelry, and home decor items with Stampin' Up! products. I have been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator since 1998 and I love my job. I am also a Stampin' Up! Artisan Award Winner for 2009-2010 and an Artisan Finalist in 2013. I have another job working in the field of weddings and events. I help design and coordinate florals and decor for events all over the Silicon Valley. I truly love the opportunities when my two jobs collide and happily intersect.

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Seeinginkspots is my personal blog and its content is my sole responsibility as an independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. The use of and content of the classes, services, or products offered on my personal blog, website, or other Internet medium is not endorsed by Stampin' Up!